Skip to content
  • Articles
    • Design
      • Architecture
      • Art & Antiques
      • Books
      • Garden
      • Gifts
      • Interior design
    • Entertainment
      • Entertaining
      • Food and drink
      • Holiday
      • Tabletop
    • Style
      • Fashion
      • Jewelry
    • Travel
      • Nantucket
    • Private video
  • Shop
    • Home & Decor
      • Accessories
      • Antiques
      • Art
      • Lighting
      • Trays
    • Tableware
      • Baskets
      • Glassware
      • Linens
      • Flatware
      • Plates
    • Fashion
      • Bags
      • Clothing
      • Jewelry
    • Exclusives
      • Tableware
      • Fashion
      • Home & Decor
    • Aviarium Placemat Set
  • Video
    • Exclusive insider tours visiting top designers and tastemakers at home around the world
      VIEW ALL
    • Private video
    • Private video
    • At Home with Laura Kirar and Richard Frazier in Yucatan, Mexico
    • At Home with designer Pierre Gonalons in his jewelbox Paris apartment
Quintessence

Quintessence

Lifestyle blog | Living Well with Style and Substance

  • Books
    • Books that I have collaborated on, as photographer, with design author Susanna Salk
      VIEW ALL
    • At Home with Dogs and Their Designers: Sharing a Stylish Life
    • At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and Their Dogs
    • At Home with Designers and Tastemakers: Creating Beautiful and Personal Interiors
    • Making a House a Home: Designing Your Interiors from the Floor Up
  • About
  • Articles
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Books
  • About

Travel

Nantucket by Design 2023
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Decorative Arts, Design, Garden, Interior design, Jewelry, Nantucket, Style, Travel

Nantucket by Design 2023

I am honored to again co-chair, with Olivia Charney, Nantucket by Design, the premier summer fundraiser for the island’s largest… Read More

Virtual Postcard Tokyo
Travel, Video, Virtual Postcard

Virtual Postcard Tokyo

In our latest Virtual Postcard, join Susanna Salk as she visits Tokyo and discovers it’s a city that has its… Read More

At Home in Paris with Jamie Creel and Marco Scarani
Antiques, Architecture, Art & Antiques, Decorative Arts, Design, Interior design, Travel, Video

At Home in Paris with Jamie Creel and Marco Scarani

Jamie Creel and partner Marco Scarani are men of sophistication and refinement, whose world travels and global collections inform their… Read More

The Stylish Traveler
Fashion, Style, Travel, Video

The Stylish Traveler

Many of you have admired over the years the stylish dresses Susanna sports in our video series. We are both… Read More

At Home in Ojai with Isabelle Dahlin and Brandon Boudet
Entertaining, Food and drink, Garden, Interior design, Travel, Video

At Home in Ojai with Isabelle Dahlin and Brandon Boudet

Ever since she first visited over 25 years ago, designer and shop owner Isabelle Dahlin always wanted a home in… Read More

Introducing Virtual Postcard
Architecture, Food and drink, Style, Travel, Video

Introducing Virtual Postcard

We are excited to announce a new video series, Virtual Postcard. So many of you viewers have said you love… Read More

At Home in Scotland with Katharine Pooley
Architecture, Interior design, Travel, Video

At Home in Scotland with Katharine Pooley

Renowned British interior designer Katharine Pooley is not one to shy away from a challenge. She is an intrepid explorer,… Read More

At Home with Johnson Hartig in Los Angeles
Interior design, Video

At Home with Johnson Hartig in Los Angeles

“It’s Marrakech meets Nantucket, English Country, French country – everything I love in one house,” explains Johnson Hartig, the designing… Read More

At Home in Tangier with Nicolo Castellini Baldissera
Architecture, Interior design, Travel, Video

At Home in Tangier with Nicolo Castellini Baldissera

Born into an Italian family distinguished in the world of art and architecture, it is hardly surprising that Nicolo Castellini… Read More

Sneak Peek – Veranda Wanderlust
Architecture, Books, Interior design

Sneak Peek – Veranda Wanderlust

Ask any designer to name their favorite source of inspiration and many will cite travel. Nothing quite refreshes and expands… Read More

Friday Favorites – Nantucket On the Go
Food and drink, Nantucket, Travel

Friday Favorites – Nantucket On the Go

This week’s Friday Favorites is a tad late due to the continuing Fourth of July week. With family on island,… Read More

Nantucket Highlights
Interior design, Nantucket, Travel

Nantucket Highlights

As I prepare for my annual summer trip to Nantucket, I was reviewing some of my past posts of island… Read More

Posts navigation

Older Posts Older Posts
Newer Posts Newer Posts
Illustration of camera

Follow

Charleston has a way of drawing people back again Charleston has a way of drawing people back again and again—and homes like this remind us why.
Tag along as designer @michaelmitchelldesigner welcomes us inside his gracious home, where layers of history, thoughtful collecting, and a deeply personal approach to design make every room a reflection of both its owner and the city itself.
LINK IN PROFILE.
One of my favorite things about setting a table is One of my favorite things about setting a table is that it never has to begin from scratch.

The most beautiful tables are collected over time—mixing old favorites with new discoveries, heirlooms with contemporary pieces, and the things you’ve loved for years with something that brings fresh perspective.

For this table, I’ve paired PeterDunham + Hudson Grace’s (@peterdunhamdesign @hudsongracesf ) beautiful salad and bread plates and napkins with Blue Carnation dinner plates, table linens, glassware, and flatware from my shop, alongside a few favorite pieces from my personal collection.

I hope this table is a reminder that you don’t need everything to match—or come from one place. The magic is in the mix. Every new piece should make you fall in love with the pieces you already own all over again.

That’s the joy of collecting—and the beauty of a table that reflects your own story.

Shop the table through link in profile
Very excited to be returning to @eleishvanbreems o Very excited to be returning to @eleishvanbreems on Nantucket for a 2 day trunk show next Thursday and Friday! If on island, do stop by! There will be many new introductions you will be the first to see!!
Some homes are beautiful. Others tell a story. Th Some homes are beautiful. Others tell a story. 
The Yucatán home of interior designer @laurakirar and architect Richard Frazier @rwf333 is both -  a masterful reflection of its surroundings, where architecture, landscape, light, and craftsmanship come together in perfect harmony.
Tag along for a visit to this extraordinary retreat and discover how years of collecting, collaboration, and creative vision shaped a house that feels deeply connected to its place. LINK IN PROFILE
Wishing everyone a very happy Mother’s Day! 🌸 Flow Wishing everyone a very happy Mother’s Day! 🌸 Flowers from my thoughtful husband - all else from my shop (plates coming soon - DM to be notified).
© 2026 Quintessence Design LLC
Site design by The Beaux Arts Digital
FAQ & Shipping Terms of Use Privacy Policy
X Illustration of hand
Never Miss A Post
Get insider access to the most inspiring and informative design stories straight to your inbox. Satisfy your style curiosity, quench your sophisticated shopping thirst and scratch your discerning need-to-know itch - sign up so you never miss a thing.